Elway's Job Is On The Line

Peyton Manning signing a 5-year $96 million contract with the Denver Broncos was finalized on Tuesday. My initial take was shock at the length and guaranteed money in the contract. Manning who has had four surgeries on his neck and did not play all of last season, is now the highest paid player in the league. There is no player, especially one coming off the type of surgery, is worth that type of money. But for the Broncos, Manning is worth every penny. Simply put, John Elway and John Fox wanted nothing more but to find a way to stop the Tebow train. Peyton gives them the out they wanted, an excuse to bring in a Hall of Fame quarterback, so they could ship Tim Tebow out of town. Elway and Fox do not and will never like Tebow or his quarterbacking style. They never truly embraced him and at times it seemed they wanted him to fail. In Manning, the Broncos get an offensive coordinator and quarterback, the guy closer molded to their hearts. There's no need for quarterback coaches to teach mechanics or having to try to dumb down their offense, in their view. Peyton has total control of the offensive schemes, which is what he truly wanted and Elway wanted a guy that was a passer like him. It's a win-win for both guys if it works. However, history tells another story when it comes to HOF quarterback changing teams toward the end of their career. Johnny Unitas failed in San Diego. Joe Namath only played a few games with the Rams and did not have any type of success. Montana achieved some success with the Chiefs but never the same heights he had with the 49ers. Lastly, Brett Favre went to two different teams but never won another Super Bowl. What Elway is trying to do is get instant success by bringing in the grizzled old vet, instead of waiting patiently and developing his team around Tebow. Will the Broncos be better than 8-8? Yes. Is the AFC West easy to win? Of course. But I believe Manning does not have that much more time left to play or that much left in the tank to make a serious contender. The Broncos have more holes than he and Elway think. If Manning really wanted a fast track to the Super Bowl he would have went to San Francisco where the pieces are already in place and where he would be the missing link. Manning stated its a win now situation for him. The win now situation is not only for him but it's on Elway as well. This decision will either bring an instant championship or the Broncos will be setback for another decade. People in Denver have been searching for the next John Elway to lead them to the promise land. Don't believe a semi-healthy Peyton Manning is the answer.